National Health Authority gets Cabinet nod

The Union Cabinet on December 2 approved the formation of the National Health Authority after dissolving the National Health Agency for better implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana. “The existing multi-tier decision-making structure has been replaced with the governing board chaired by the Union Minister of Health, which will enable the decision-making at a faster pace, required for smooth implementation of the scheme,” the government said in a statement. The composition of the governing board of National Health Authority is broad-based with due representations from the government and domain experts. Besides, states shall also be represented on the board on a rotational basis.

RBI sets up expert panel to solve MSME crisis

The RBI on January 2 set up an expert committee under former SEBI chairman U.K. Sinha to suggest long-term solutions for the economic and financial sustainability of the MSME sector. The RBI announced the panel a day after it allowed a one-time restructuring of existing debt up to Rs 25 crore for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) that have defaulted on payment, but the loans given to them have continued to be classified as standard assets. The eight-member committee will also examine the factors affecting the timely and adequate availability of finance to the sector, the RBI said in a statement. “The expert committee will submit its report by the end of June,” it added.

Coffee exports decline by 7.36% in 2018

Coffee exports from India declined 7.36 per cent on a year-on-year basis to 3.50 lakh tonnes in 2018 owing to a fall in shipment of robusta and instant coffee varieties, according to the Coffee Board. In terms of value also, coffee exports dropped to Rs 5,770.48 crore in 2018 from Rs 6,091 crore in the previous year. Italy was the top export market for India in 2018, as 76,437.56 tonnes of coffee was exported to the country, followed by Germany (28,582 tonnes) and Russia (21,397 tonnes). As per the Board’s latest data, India exported 350,280 tonnes of coffee in 2018, lower than the 378,119 tonnes in the previous year.

Indian textile firms face higher trade barriers

Indian textile companies face higher trade barriers, compared to other competing countries such as Bangladesh, Vietnam and Pakistan, in the US and EU, Parliament was informed on January 2. The average tariff on textile products faced by India in the EU and US is 5.9 per cent and 6.2 per cent, respectively. In comparison, Pakistan faces 0 per cent and 5.3 per cent average tariff in the EU and US; for Bangladesh, it is 0 per cent and 3.9 per cent; whereas Vietnam attracted 6.1 per cent and 5.5 per cent tariff. The US is the top export destination for textiles made in India with a share of 17 per cent, followed by the EU, Bangladesh, China, Pakistan, UAE, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Brazil and South Korea.

New deadline for Gagan system takeoff

The Centre has extended the deadline for Gagan system-equipped aircraft to June 2020 following lack of preparedness on the part of domestic air operators. The National Civil Aviation Policy, announced in 2015, had made it mandatory for all aircraft being registered from January 1, 2019, to be GPS-aided geo augmented navigation (Gagan) system-enabled. The system is expected to make airline operations more efficient and cut costs as it reduces separation between aircraft with increase in air safety and fuel efficiency. Jointly developed by ISRO and AAI at an investment of Rs 774 crore, the system offers seamless navigation to the aviation industry.

Not rape if live-in partner fails to marry: SC

A consensual physical relationship between live-in partners does not amount to rape in case the man fails to marry the woman due to circumstances beyond his control, the Supreme Court has held. The apex court said this while quashing an FIR lodged by a Maharashtra-based nurse against a doctor, who were in a live-in relationship. A bench of Justices A.K. Sikri and S Abdul Nazeer said when partners are living together out of love and having consensual sex with the promise of marriage, then the woman can’t be allowed to initiate criminal proceedings for rape in case of a breakdown in the relationship.

UNSC gets 5 new non-permanent members

The United Nations Security Council has five new non-permanent members, and one of them - the Dominican Republic - is starting out as the group’s president. Belgium, Germany, Indonesia and South Africa also are starting their two-year terms. Bolivia, Ethiopia, the Netherlands, Kazakhstan and Sweden finished their terms as 2018 closed. The 15-member council is the UN’s most powerful body. China, France, Russia, the UK and the US are permanent members, with veto power. Others are elected by the 193-member General Assembly for staggered, two-year terms that are allocated by global regions.

Cabinet approves merger of three banks

Paving the way for the first ever three-way merger of public sector lenders, the Cabinet on January 2 approved the amalgamation of Dena Bank and Vijaya Bank with Bank of Baroda, which will create India’s third largest lender. Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said there won’t be any retrenchment of employees and their services conditions won’t be affected after the merger. As per the Scheme of Amalgamation announced by Bank of Baroda, shareholders of Vijaya Bank will get 402 equity shares of BoB for every 1,000 shares held in the bank. In case of Dena Bank, shareholders will get 110 shares of BoB for every 1,000 shares owned in the bank. The scheme will into force on April 1.

Green light for amending Trade Unions Act

The Centre on January 2 approved an amendment to the Trade Unions Act, 1926, to make provisions regarding the recognition of trade unions. The present Act provides for only registration of trade unions. Currently, there is no provision for recognition of unions in the Act. However, the recognition of trade unions is governed by guidelines in the Code of Discipline evolved in 1958, voluntarily accepted by employers and employees. The recognition is necessary because the recognised trade union of an industry or establishment gets bargaining or negotiating rights with the employer. “The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved amendment to the Trade Unions Act, 1926, to make provisions regarding recognition of trade unions,” a statement said.

Telecom customer base grows to 119.2 cr

Only two telecom operators - Reliance Jio and state-run BSNL - gained new subscribers in October, leading to a marginal growth in overall user base to 119.2 crore, according to TRAI data. Reliance Jio and BSNL jointly added over 1.08 crore new mobile phone customers, while the rest - Vodafone Idea, Bharti Airtel, Tata Teleservices, MTNL and Reliance Communications - lost more than 1.01 crore customers. Reliance Jio alone added more than 1 crore and BSNL added 3.66 lakh customers. Vodafone Idea lost 73.61 lakh mobile subscribers, Airtel 18.64 lakh, Tata Teleservices lost 9.25 lakh, MTNL 8,068 and RCom 3,831 customers. Mobile telephony dominates the Indian telecom market with 98 per cent market share. The number of telephone subscribers increased to 119.2 crore in October from 119.14 crore in September.

Merchant exporters get 3% interest subsidy

The Centre on January 2 decided to provide 3 per cent interest subsidy to merchant exporters, entailing an expenditure of Rs 600 crore, to enhance liquidity with a view to boost outbound shipments. Approval has been given to the proposal of the Department of Commerce for “including merchant exporters under the interest equalisation scheme for pre- and post-shipment rupee export credit by allowing them interest equalisation rate of 3 per cent on such credit for export of products covered under 416 tariff lines (products) identified under the scheme,” a press release said. These products are largely in the MSME and labour-intensive sectors such as textiles, agriculture, leather, handicraft and machinery.

Industrial city of Jamshedpur turns 100

Envisioned by a Parsi, planned by an American, named by a British Viceroy and landscaped by a German, the industrial city of Jamshedpur turned 100 on January 2. A small hamlet known as Sakchi was renamed as Jamshedpur on January 2, 1919, by Lord Chelmsford, the then Viceroy of India, in memory of Tata Steel founder Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata. US engineer Julian Kennedy planned the city on the basis of the blueprint of J.N. Tata, a Parsi, and later, in 1940s, Otto Koenigsberger of Germany gave Jamshedpur its parks and gardens.

Trump wants India, Russia to fight Taliban

Expressing dissatisfaction over New Delhi’s decades-old role in the Afghanistan peace process, US President Donald Trump said he wants the regional countries, including India, Russia and Pakistan, to fight the Taliban. “Why is not Russia there (in Afghanistan, fighting the Taliban)? Why isn’t India there? Why isn’t Pakistan there? Why are we (US) there? We are 6,000 miles away. But I don’t mind. We want to help our people. We want to help other nations,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting. He cited India’s efforts towards peace and development in Afghanistan, but alleged that the countries were not doing enough in the war-ravaged nation and that they were taking advantage of the US.

Chinese probe lands on moon’s dark side

In a giant leap for space exploration, China’s Chang’e 4 became the world’s first spacecraft to make a soft landing on the far side of the moon and send photos. The lunar explorer probe touched down at a pre-selected area on January 3, China National Space Administration said. It landed on the Von Karman crater in the South Pole-Aitken basin and then sent back a picture of the landing site shot by one of the monitor cameras on the probe’s lander, marking the world’s first image taken on the moon’s far side. Though the far side has been extensively photographed by spacecraft, starting with a Soviet probe in 1959, no probe had ever made a soft landing onto it.

Newsmakers

Ramakant Achrekar, the celebrated cricket coach credited with discovering Sachin Tendulkar, died on January 2. Achrekar, who was honoured with the Padma Shri and Dronacharya Award, had also trained Vinod Kambli, Ajit Agarkar, Balwinder Singh Sandhu and Pravin Amre.